The Netherlands are back in World Cup action on Friday as they look to make it two wins out of two Group A matches when they take on Ecuador in Qatar.
Louis van Gaal's side started their campaign with a 2-0 victory over reigning African champions Senegal, thanks to two late goals from Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaassen.
It was an underwhelming effort from the Dutch who even gambled by brining on Memphis Depay in the second half to try and break the deadlock, despite Van Gaal saying the previous day that the Barca attacker would not be fit enough to play.
“He is a player who can make the difference,” Van Gaal said ahead of the Ecuador game. “He will want to play, but I have to assess his form.”
If Depay isn't fit enough to start the match at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan, then Van Gaal is confident he can rely on Cody Gakpo, who scored against Senegal for his third goal of the year with the Oranje.
The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals in 24 games for PSV Eindhoven this season. “He knows how to score goals and is very agile,” Van Gaal added.
Ecuador also started the finals with a 2-0 win, defeating hosts Qatar on the tournament's opening day courtesy of two Enner Valencia strikes.
Although Valencia came off against Qatar after taking a knock to his knee, manager Gustavo Alfaro says “there is no doubt” that La Tri's all-time leading scorer will play against the Netherlands.
The 33-year-old has been in top form for this club side this season, grabbing 13 goals in 12 league games for Turkish side Fenerbahce
In the gallery above, you can see images of Dutch players training on Thursday. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
Getting%20there%20
Towering concerns
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
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Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
